Getting Ripped Off One Too Many

I’m starting to get fed up of how so many things are over-priced, some things cost triple or quadruple the cost in comparison to the price it’s sold at in other countries. What’s worse is even some delivery services charge you in a manner that makes no sense at all.

I ordered 2 Egg Masters which cost KD 8 each. Once they arrived I researched their manufacturing cost (the ones I got turned out to be a Chinese knockoff from the original Rollie product) but the manufacturer never got back to me. Nevertheless, a quick search will tell you the average cost to manufacture one ranges from $6-$8.

So it costs around KD 2 to sell an Egg Master, while I paid 4 times that amount, a bit overpriced maybe? Next up was the delivery service, Delivery Express. The two Egg Masters arrived and the driver charged KD 20 which didn’t make sense to me since they told me delivery cost was KD 2.

2 Egg Masters = KD 16 + KD 2 = KD 18. After I managed to reach someone in charge he told me their system adds a delivery cost for every item. So even though the 2 Egg Masters arrived together in 1 delivery I paid for them as if they were delivered separately.

What they’re basically telling me is, their system is so terrible that I have to pay double the delivery charge, which is absurd; how is their system my problem? This also means if I order 9 Egg Masters I have to pay KD 18 for 1 delivery. It might cost me less in delivery cost if I shipped 9 Egg Masters from the U.S.

Update: The owner of Delivery Express got in touch to better explain the situation that happened. The guy I initially talked to misinformed me on how the system worked for that specific order. In some cases they make a fixed profit from every delivery (in this case it was KD 2). They had a deal with the store selling Egg Masters to get KD 2 of the total price for every item, so it should have been sold at KD 10 each and the guy who I talked to at the time should have avoided diving into details to avoid confusion.

I wait till I get back to the US to shop – especially for clothing. Never mind that the prices are outrageously inflated, but the quality that you get (most often) is very poor.

I think as more overseas get wise and start offering international shipping (at reduced rates), people will buy online instead. It is already starting and I’ve noticed that a lot of US sites recognize that I’m in Kuwait and adjust their online pricing to KD.

Even Kuwaitis are shopping in Saudi Arabia these days. That should tell you something! Before, you could go to Mirah Center or Nokhatha and get bargains, but even there the prices have increased. Sad.